1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to herbal compositions and there method of use. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of such a composition to boost a person""s libido.
2. Description of Related Art
The human sexual response in both males and females results from a complex interplay of psychological, hormonal, and other physiological influences. One important aspect of human sexual response that is common to both men and women is the erectile response which itself results from an interplay between the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine system, and the circulatory system.
Finding a suitable drug delivery vehicle for the treatment of erectile dysfunction has proven to be particularly difficult. Male erectile dysfunction, the persistent inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance, is estimated to affect up to 30 million men in the United States. See xe2x80x9cOral Sildenafil in the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunctionxe2x80x9d, New England Journal of Medicine, 338:20:1397 (1998). There are numerous causes of male erectile dysfunction. For example, it may be atonic, due to paralysis of the motor nerves without any evidence of lesions to the central nervous system, particularly the spinal cord. Alternatively, it could be psychic, and dependent on a mental problem or instability. Finally, it could be symptomatic, due to some other disorder, such as injury to nerves in the perineal region, by virtue of which the sensory portion of the erection reflex is blocked out.
Various available treatments have been employed in the treatment of male erectile dysfunction, including vacuum-constriction devices, intracavernosal injections of vasoactive agents, transurethral delivery of prostaglandin E.sub.1 (alprostadil), oral administration of sildenafil citrate (Viagra.RTM. available from Pfizer), implantation of penile prostheses, and venous or arterial surgery. Most of these treatments involve painful procedures with varying degrees of success that are often associated with numerous side effects. Moreover, many persons are not candidates for one or more of these treatments as a result of their physiological condition. For example, oral admistration of sildenafil citrate is contraindicated for individuals currently taking organic nitrates, such a nitroglycerine. See xe2x80x9cVIAGRA.RTM. (sildenafil citrate) Tabletsxe2x80x9d, Pfizer Labs, 7 (1998).
The medications most commonly used to treat male erectile dysfunction have been papaverine hydrochloride, a smooth muscle relaxant, phentolamine mesylate, an alpha-adrenergic blocker, and several other drugs which are used because of their ability to cause vasodilation. Recent data have suggested that prostaglandin E1 either alone or in combination with papaverine produces an improved erectile response. The use of these drugs often requires special applicators, which besides being cumbersome, are also painful to use. However, the use of topical gels, creams and ointments for treating impotency has been proposed in several publications.
Numerous approaches have been taken in attempts to treat impotence. These approaches include the use of external or internally implanted penile prosthesis. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,744, to Zumanowsky). A variety of drugs and methods for administering drugs have also been used in attempts to treat impotence. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,246 to Sturmer addresses treatment of impotence in men by buccal and peroral administration of daily doses of 300-1500 international units (I.U.) of oxytocin or daily divided doses of 150-250 I.U. of desamino-oxytocin. The patent discloses the buccal administration of 100 I.U. three times a day for 14 days results in improvement of impotentia erectionis in 12 of the 16 patients treated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,920 to Nestor et al. discloses that the administration of nonapeptide and decapeptide analogs of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone agonists may be useful in the induction or enhancement of sexual behavior or therapy for impotence or frigidity. Nestor et al. suggest numerous routes of administration of the analogs including buccal, sublingual, oral, parenteral (including subcutaneous, intramuscular, and intravenous administration), rectal, vaginal, and others.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,617 to Grunwell et al. suggests buccal and other routes of administration of 19-oxygenated-androst-5-enes for the endocrine mediated enhancement of the libido in humans.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,911 to Anderson et al. discloses methods for treating sexual dysfunction in mammals using a biooxidizable, blood-brain barrier penetrating estrogen derivative. One of the purported objects of the Anderson et al. invention is the treatment of xe2x80x9cpsychological impotencexe2x80x9d in males. Test results showed that the drugs used in the study stimulated mounting behavior, intromission, and mount latency in castrated rats.
A number of publications have proposed the use of various vasodilators for the treatment of impotence in males. Attempts to utilize vasodilators for the treatment of impotence were prompted by the fact that a significant percentage of cases of impotence were noted to be vasculogenic, i.e. resulting from vascular insufficiency.
Voss et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,587, issued Jan. 31, 1989, discloses the use of an ointment containing a vasodilator and a carrier agent for topical application to the penis of impotent men. The Voss et al. patent also describes application of such an ointment into the urethra of the penis using a catheter as well as a multi-step regimen for applying a vasodilator to the skin of the penis. In addition, Voss et al. proposes the surgical removal of a portion of the fibrous sheath surrounding the corpora cavernosum, thereby facilitating the penetration of a vasodilator-containing ointment into the corpora cavernosum. Vasodilators disclosed for use by Voss et al. include papaverine, hydralazine, sodium nitroprusside, phenoxybenzamine, and phentolamine. The Voss et al. patent, however, provides no information regarding the actual efficacy of the treatments proposed or the nature of the response to such treatments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,118 to Latorre describes treating male impotence by direct injection of the vasodilating drugs into the corpus cavernosum and the corpus spongiosum of the penis using a syringe and one or more hypodermic needles. More particularly, the Latorre patent proposes the intracavernosal and intraspongiosal injection of sympathomimetic amines such as nylidrin hydrochloride, adrenergic blocking agents such as tolazoline hydrochloride, and direct acting vasodilators such as isoxsuprine hydrochloride and nicotinyl alcohol.
Brindley, G. S. (Br. J. Pharmac. 87:495-500, 1986) disclosed that, when injected directly into the corpus cavernosum using a hypodermic needle, certain smooth muscle relaxing drugs including phenoxybenzamine, phentolamine, thymoxamine, imipramine, verapamil, papaverine, and naftidrofuryl caused erection. This study noted that injection of an xe2x80x9cappropriate dose of phenoxybenzamine or papaverine is followed by an unrelenting erection lasting for hours.xe2x80x9d Injection of the other drugs studied induced erections lasting from about 11 minutes to about 6.5 hours.
Zorgniotti et al., J. Urol. 133:39-41 (1985) demonstrated that the intracavernosal injection of a combination of papaverine and phentolamine could result in an erection in otherwise impotent men. Similarly, Althof et al. J. Sex Marital Ther. 17(2): 101-112 (1991) reported that intracavernosal injection of papaverine hydrochloride and phentolamine mesylate resulted in improved erectile ability in about 84% of patients injected. However, in that study the dropout rate was 57%, fibrotic nodules developed in 26% of the patients, 30% of the patients developed abnormal liver function values, and bruising occurred in 19% of the patients.
Other studies describing intracavernosal injection of drugs using hypodermic needles for the treatment of impotence include: Brindley, J. Physiol. 342:24P (1983); Brindley, Br. J. Psychiatr. 143:312-337 (1983); Virag, Lancet ii:978 (1982); and Virag, et al., Angiology 35:79-87 (1984).
While intracavernosal injection may be useful for inducing erections in impotent men, the technique has numerous drawbacks. Obvious drawbacks include pain, risk of infection, inconvenience and interference with the spontaneity of the sex act. Priapism (prolonged and other painful erection) also appears to be a potential problem when using injection methods. See, e.g. Brindley, (1986). Another problem arising in some cases of intracavernosal injection involves the formation of fibrotic lesions in the penis. See, e.g., Corriere, et al., J. Urol. 140:615-617 (1988) and Larsen, et al., J. Urol. 137:292-293 (1987).
Phentolamine, which has been shown to have the potential to induce erection when injected intracavernosally, has also been the subject of oral administration to test its effects in men having non-specific erectile insufficiency (Gwinup, Ann. Int. Med. Jul. 15, 1988, pp. 162-163.) In that study, 16 patients ingested either a placebo or a 50 mg orally administered dose of phentolamine. Eleven of the 16 patients (including three placebo-treated patients) became tumescent, became more responsive to sexual stimulation, and were able to achieve an erection sufficient for vaginal penetration after waiting 1.5 hours to attempt intercourse.
Sonda et al. J. Sex and Marital Ther. 16(1): 15-21 (year) reported that yohimbine ingestion resulted in subjective improvement in erectile ability in 38% of impotent men treated, but only 5% of the treated patients reported complete satisfaction.
Zorgniotti et al, PCT/US94/09048, describes the transmucosal administration of a variety of vasodilators including phentolamine mesylate for modulating the human sexual response.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,173, to Stanley et al., discloses methods of administering drugs having cardiovascular or renal vascular activity through use of a lollipop assertedly facilitating drug absorption through the mucosal tissues of the mouth, pharynx, and esophagus. The Stanley et al. patent discloses that a large number of lollipop-administered drugs may improve cardiovascular function including drugs exhibiting direct vasodilating effects, including calcium channel blockers, .beta.-adrenergic blocking agents, serotonin receptor blocking agents, angina blocking agents, other anti-hypertensive agents, cardiac stimulating agents, and agents which improve renal vascular function.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,603 to Rubin describes the topical administration to the penis of isoxsuprine and caffeine, and nitroglycerine and caffeine along with suitable carrier compounds for the treatment of impotence.
There continues to exist a need in the art for effective means for modulating human sexual response and especially for enhancing erectile ability in males suffering from impotence. Ideally, such means would be convenient and simple to use, would be non-invasive and would allow a rapid and predictable capacity for onset of erectile function on demand and in response to normal sexual stimulation.
According to the present invention, there is provided a natural composition for boosting the libido of an individual, the composition including an effective amount of an aphrodisiac and a compound to increase blood flow to the pelvic area in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. A natural composition for boosting the libido of an individual, including an effective amount of a compound for driving blood flow to the penis and an aphrodisiac in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier is also provided. Also provided is a method of increasing the libido by administering an effective amount of composition including an aphrodisiac and a compound to increase blood flow to the pelvic area in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.